Patent GB A 2178211 describes a system capable of controlling the on-board access to a rental vehicle or the access to a hotel door by means of a centralized computer system, as well as the payment for such a service with the aid of tokens provided with a programmable memory.
Motor vehicles that travel with the aid of an electric motor require electric recharging, which is necessary for the operation of the motor. Patent EP 0325550 suggests that for utilizing this means of transportation it should be necessary to be in possession of a support card with read-only memory or programmable memory, which could be prepaid or would otherwise have to be subsequently billed by mailing an invoice to the domicile of the user. In order to use the card it is necessary to find a station that possesses available vehicles, which are sufficiently recharged (display on the outside of the vehicle), and subsequently insert the card into the reader located on the outside of the vehicle. If the card is validated, it is then necessary to key in its confidential code, such as with bank cards, into a keypad located beside the reader. Once the code is accepted, the doors or the pivoting roof is unlocked and the “contact” takes place; the vehicle is ready to be driven to a selected destination within the limits of the urban area.